


An Improper Apology Properly Backfires

by rex101111



Category: Naruto
Genre: Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Gen, Kakashi is just enjoying the show, Naruto is stuck in the crossfire, Sakura is an angry person, Sasuke has emotional constipation, just another day for team 7, sorta - Freeform, this is so much nonsense so please take it lightly yeah?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 21:22:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14902250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rex101111/pseuds/rex101111
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha apologizes, or at least makes an attempt. Sakura thinks he could do better than THAT.





	An Improper Apology Properly Backfires

**Author's Note:**

> So, let me preface this utter farce and nonsense with the fact that I like Naruto. Like the characters, like the story, shit, even the ending (cliched as it was.) Though I do have my complaints and hang ups, obviously, and one of them is when Sasuke apologizes to Sakura right at the end, it always seemed a bit half assed to me.
> 
> This story has been months in the making but it only took me about a day to write so…enjoy??? Know that at least one thing is wrong but I didn’t have the strength to look it up. Also possibly OOC?? God it’s been a while since I used that.

Naruto was in a rather complicated point in his life.

On the one hand, he had _finally_ managed to convinced his longtime friend/rival/archenemy (it was complicated) to come back home and give up his, mildly justified but mostly stupid at this point, quest for revenge.

On the _other_ hand…well, that was just it, he currently did not _have_ another hand, or most of the arm really, and was bleeding (rather heavily actually _wow_ Kurama must be as bushed as he is right now) from the tattered remains of his elbow.

Moreover, to top it off his friend was very much in the same predicament, so unless someone came along and fixed that unfortunate bleeding business the last two and a half years (and change) would have been for _absolutely nothing_ and Naruto would feel _pretty_ darn stupid.

Thankfully, he and Sasuke were saved from that rather ignominious fate by the appearance of their mutual friend, her pink hair contrasting harshly around the burned and shattered grey of their battlefield. Their teacher a few steps behind her, keeping his distance somewhat, probably so he could see all three of them in one place and _not_ in the process of trying to kill each other. (Which was a depressingly rare event now that Naruto thought about it.)

The experienced medic ninja went quickly to work on stemming the bleeding, her soft, _lovely_ green healing Jutsu covering the two mangled stumps they had earned because of their final clash, muttering under her breath about having to clean up after their messes and just wanting to go home already. (Naruto could sympathize; after he and Sasuke free everyone from the genjutsu he was gonna sleep for a _month_ ) 

While Naruto was basking in the wonderful calming breeze that was Sakura's healing technique, he caught Sasuke looking at her through half lidded (and bruised _yikes_ Naruto would have to apologize for that) eyes as she worked, something going soft as he did.

It made Naruto smile, knowing how Sakura felt about the black haired bastard next to him he hoped that the two of them could work things out (eventually of course, with a lot of therapy and awkward talks) and pick up from where they left off way back when they were gennin.

Just as he thought that, the battered last Uchiha turned his head slightly to face Sakura directly, visibly swallowing the dryness in his throat (or maybe it was just Naruto, _fuck_ he could really go for some nice and warm ramen right now) before he spoke up softly, "Sakura…I…"

"Hush for now," She reprimanded without sparing him a glance, her gaze rooted to the grievous wounds of her friends, "I need to focus."

A moment passed, wind dragging around dust as Sasuke continued to hold his gaze on Sakura as she slowly and meticulously healed them before he spoke up again, "Sorry…"

Naruto smirked a bit at that, sure, that apology was a bit _brief_ but it was a start! He was sure that once Sakura finishes with her healing the two of them could get to talking things out properly and be able to-

Wait where did the healing go?

"What was that?"

Oh no.

Sasuke was obviously just as stumped by the sudden halt of the healing Jutsu, and propped himself up on his remaining elbow to look at Sakura in mild shock, "Why did you-?"

"What," She said again, her mouth slowly working around the word until it was sharp as a knife to the back of the neck, "Did you just say, Sasuke?"

She was calm. But not just any kind of calm, Naruto _knew_ that kind of calm. It was a calm he had heard and had been on the wrong side of many a time when he pushed old lady Tsunade a bit too far.

It was the kind of calm a person who could crush mountains in their grip displayed while they were right on the verge of being decidedly _not_ calm.

Sasuke, obviously feeling the sudden spike in killing intent in the air but not knowing what was causing it (you idiot you fool you _moron_ ) kept going, "I…I said I was sorry…" Sakura was throwing him a blunt and blank look and for some _ungodly reason_ he kept going, "For…everything up until now."

Sakura took a deep, _deep_ breath, " _Really now?"_ She said from between her teeth, a hint of amazement and an edge of what could only be _blood boiling anger_ peeking out from behind her tone, "Are you sure about that? _Everything_ Sasuke?"

"W-well y-yeah-"

"Because that first apology sounded kind of _glib_ to me." She interrupted him, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down the bridge of her nose on the man that tried to burn the world down a few hours ago but was now very much at her mercy and very well aware of it, "If I'm being honest."

Naruto was starting to hope that Kaguya was, in fact, _not_ dead, so she could jump out of a rock and give Sakura something else to direct her sudden ire.

"So glib in fact," She continued briskly when Sauske just sat there with wide eyes and without a word, "That I can only assume that you actually only meant to apologize for the _one_ thing."

Sasuke looked ready to climb into a hole, which was a rather odd look for a man that fought a world creating goddess not too long ago.

"So, what are you apologizing for, Sasuke?" Her mouth twisted into something between a scowl and a smirk as she spat that sentence out, "Because, frankly, you have got a _lot_ to choose from, so you'll have to be specific."

Sasuke, somehow finding his voice, cleared his throat, "I-I…"

"Can't choose?" She asked, voice covered in rotten honey, before her face took on a decidedly fake smile, "Or maybe you're having trouble thinking of them all?" Her smile grew sharp, "That's okay, I'll just list all the ones _I_ remember and you just stop me when I get to the one you meant."

Naruto, finally finding his footing, figuratively speaking, propped himself up as well to try and stop this disaster before it goes any further, only to be stopped by a small pebble hitting the side of his head.

He snapped his head to where the rock came from to see his teacher motioning for him to stay quiet while he held up a sign that read, "Don't stop her now, it's just getting good!"

He loved Kakashi dearly, but Naruto was starting to think he was not the best teacher.

"Let's see…" Sakura started, counting off fingers, "Are you apologizing for…leaving the village to join a notorious villain? Who tried to destroy our village a few weeks before?" She said mildly, staring Sasuke straight in the eye as she recounted the event that, arguably, started this whole mess, "Which, in case you didn't know, nearly costed the lives of five of our friends when they were sent to get you back, not including Naruto."

She pointed at the aforementioned blond with a distracted gesture of a thumb, which afforded him an opportunity to speak "Speaking of me almost dying!" He lifted his half healed, and still bleeding, arm stump into view, "Could you, maybe, have this conversation _after_ you heal us?"

"Be quiet Naruto," Sakura muttered under her breath, making Naruto shrink where he sat, "Sasuke and I are having a _conversation_ , you aren't involved."

To tell the truth Naruto felt _pretty involved_ , but thought better of voicing that opinion for fear that Sakura would hear it and make him _completely_ involved.   

"What else…" Sakura continued lightly, slowly counting off another finger, "What else…oh yes!" She smiled now, fake and thin and overly cheerful, a smile that grew more and more strained as she continued to speak, "Or maybe you're talking about the time that, after me and Naruto looked for you for a whole two years, the first thing you did when you saw us again was try and _stab Naruto through the back?_ "

Sasuke was looking rather sheepish at this point, to put it mildly, but still managed to try and get a word in edge wise, "Well, you see-"

"Or maybe a while after that! When we, _again,_ didn't see you for _months_ and you show up out of nowhere and try and _kill every world leader in the Kage Summit?"_

"To be fair," Naruto spoke up meakly again, his better judgement losing to blood lose, "He was only trying to kill Danzo."

"Along with anyone who got in his way which included the Raikage and _Garra,_ " Sakura actually deemed it worthy to glance at Naruto this time for that comment and the half look she gave him made him regret many life decisions, "Now, again, _be quiet Naruto."_  

Naruto merely nodded as he accepted that this train wreck was happening and all he could do was steer as clear as he could manage.

"Or, going back to when we were younger, are you talking about the time you and Naruto fought on the hospital roof?" She was actually starting to heat up, her face going a bit red from anger and her hands beginning to gesture along with her speech, "A fight which only happened because you…what? Where having inferiority crises towards your brother? Towards _Naruto, **what?**_ "

 Sasuke shrunk back from Sakura as she went on, his face a mixture of frustration and shock.

"Going back to the Kage Summit again, are you apologizing for trying to kill Naruto, _again, for the third damn time?_ " She was baring her teeth at this point, poking a finger in his chest as she went on, "Or for trying to _choke me to death?_ Or for swearing you'll destroy the leaf village and kill everyone in it for a, admittedly short sighted and heartless, decision made to stop a civil war, made by a handful of people, _over 10 fucking years ago?"_

Kakashi spoke up from behind, "Despite his brother wanting him not to!"

Sakura turned to point at the older shinobi, " _Despite his brother wanting him not to thank you sensei!"_ She turned back to Sasuke, eye _blazing_ with unrestrained anger, "Or maybe this is about something a bit more recent?" She actually managed to look angry and _morose_ all at once as she _really_ started getting into it, "Like when, a few hours ago, after we _somehow_ managed to survive a whole damn _war_ and fight and beat a literal _goddess_ the first thing, _the first damned thing out of your mouth is wanting to kill the Five Kage!"_ She threw her arms up into the air in sheer astonishment, **_"Again! Like we've all learned absolutely nothing!_** "

Sasuke's face twisted a bit, a flare of anger, or desperation who knows, making him straighten up as she yelled at him, "Sakura listen-"

" _No YOU listen!"_ She poked his chest again, hard, bringing herself to eye level with him, "Because there's one more thing you might want to apologize for! Specifically when I, for some _stupid_ reason, after _everything_ you've done to the village, to Naruto, to _me,_ I _still_ give you a chance, and I _still_ say that I _love you after all this time and everything that's happened…"_ She stops and her lower lip trembles and Naruto thinks he sees Sasuke _panic,_ and then she _glares,_ "… _And what do you do?"_

Sasuke has the common decency to look ashamed, reaching out with his remaining hand towards her, "Sakura…I-"

She slaps it away as she damn near _snarls_ at him, " _And what do you fucking do!? You put me through a genjutsu that involves you **shoving a hand through my chest** so I would faint and not be able to stop you two **morons** from doing-" _ She glares down at their two bloody stumps one more time before pointing furiously at them, "- ** _This_** _to yourselves!"_

Sakura huffs heavily for a few moments while Sasuke just _stares_ at her, utter shock and disbelief carved on every feature that was not already covered by a bruise. (Naruto wasn't much better having crawled a few inches away while Sakura was screaming her head off)

Eventually Sakura manages to steel her face into something resembling calm as she once again crosses her arms and glares at Sasuke, "And there you go! That's the short list!" She takes another deep breath before looking him straight in the eye, "So, _what are you apologizing for Sauske?"_

He visibly struggles for something to say before letting out a harsh breath and looking back at her, "I-I already said that I'm sorry! For everything!"

"Well, as I have spent the last few minutes _firmly_ establishing," She grounded out between her teeth, "That _everything_ is going to need a little more than a fucking _sorry."_

He rubs his face in frustration, "Come _on_ Sakura, you know I'm bad at this…this…"

"This what?" She asked impatiently, a bit more anger showing on her face, "Again Sasuke, _you'll have to be more specific."_

"Bad with," He gestures vaguely with his one hand, his face caught between shame and frustration, "With…being open with my emotions! You know that!"

Sakura _freezes._

Naruto could actually feel the temperature sink as she stared wide eyed at Sasuke (poor fool), and then he could feel it slowly climb back up as her face twists in sudden rage, whatever tenuous grip she had on her anger snapping away.

She _explodes,_ "NO _FUCKING **SHIT!"**_ Her shout echoes across the field and even makes Kakashi cup his ears from where he's sitting. She points an accusing finger at the Uchiha again, "You and your _dumbass_ clan's _emotional constipation_ is the biggest reason this whole _dumpster fire_ of a situation was able to happen in the first place!" She jabs him in the chest, "And _you're one the biggest of the damn matches!_

Sasuke's eye twitches and he pushes her finger away with an annoyed growl, "What do you want me to say Sakura?"

She growls right back, "What do you _fucking think?"_

"Didn't we already establish that that is a thing I am _bad at?"_

Impossibly she gets even angrier, "Than try _HARDER!"_ She covers her face with her hands and shakes her head, "Oh just _forget it_ , I'm just yelling for the sake of it at this point, you're never going to…" She rubs her forehead as her other hand glows again with the green light of her healing jutsu, "Never mind, just…just lay back down so I can stop you two from bleeding to death."

Naruto was more than glad to do just that, crawling back into place as Sakura reaches over to continue healing him…only for Sasuke to grab the hand meant for him and disrupt her technique, Naruto was getting _real tired_ of these two's drama.

"Sasuke what the _hell-_ "

"I'm sorry." He says to her, ignoring Naruto entirely, his tone serious and firm, "I'm sorry for leaving to join Orochimaru, I'm sorry for nearly getting so many people killed over my obsession with getting revenge," His mouth twists slightly, "I'm sorry for trying to kill you and Naruto every time you tried and talk some sense into me."

Sakura's rage was mostly startled out of her by Sasuke grabbing her hand, but some of it came back when he wouldn't let go, and she was just so _done_ that at this point she almost didn't want to hear him and tried to get her hand out.

But he kept going, "I'm sorry for only thinking of myself, I'm sorry for letting my selfishness and my anger cloud my judgment and make so many _stupid_ mistakes." He drags her a bit closer to him, anger in his voice, "I'm sorry for being a _rage obsessed_ , closed off, uncaring asshole who completely ignored the sacrifices the people around me made because I was to afraid to cope to the fact I was hurting."

Sakura was still struggling a bit, but hearing his tone made something in her slow down to listen.

"And, more than anything I'm sorry-" He stops, an unrecognizable look in his eyes as he locks gazes with Sakura, "I'm…I'm sorry for leaving you on that damn bench."

Sakura stops entirely, she's looking at Sasuke in complete shock, as if he said something she didn't expect in a million years. The rage in her face drains away completely as she and Sasuke look at each other, the latter breathing a bit heavily as he lets her go and leans back to rest his back on the rocks.

With a grunt, he says it once more, "I'm sorry…for everything…"

Sakura looks at him with a not unkind gaze, her mouth quirking up in a sad smile as she lets out a small breath, "…You better be." She rubs her hands and returns them to their previous position above the, still bleeding by the way, stumps of the two boys.

Naruto wanted to say a lot of things once it got quiet, mostly to ask when in the hell _that_ all came from, and what bench Sasuke was talking about, but as soon as he got enough energy to speak all he said was this, "We need to wake everyone up, I need to talk to Hinata."

Sakura looked at him from the corner of her eye with a smirk, "So are you finally going to do something about what she did with Pain?"

Sasuke glanced at the two, "Pain? What did Pain do?"

"I'll explain later, so Naruto, are you?"

He was quiet for a second, "Yeah," He says eventually, "And for one more reason."

Sakura exchanged a quick look with Sasuke before looking back at Naruto, "What reason is that?"

"The last thing I wanna be is a third wheel to _you two."_  


End file.
